Overview
Currently, there is an increased concern in both the US and EU about the degradation of the actual atmospheric pollution levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) in spite of the stricter vehicle emission limits in recent years. Differences between conditions for chassis or engine test cycles defined by vehicle emission regulations and real driving can contribute to the differences between expected and actual pollution levels. Recent air quality studies show significant exceedances for NOx and PM emissions, mainly in urban areas with high populations where emissions are mainly contributed by transport sources. Portable emission measurement systems (PEMS) were introduced and have been used for the purpose of investigating and regulating real driving emissions (RDE) of vehicles. The goal of this study is to investigate the PM mass and particle number emissions from a current technology GDI vehicle retrofitted with a gasoline particle filter (GPF) during on-road testing using state-of-the-art gaseous, PM, and PN-PEMS units. Emissions will be measured over different driving conditions mimicking urban, rural, and highway driving patterns. For the GPF-fitted vehicle and for each test route, on-road testing will be performed three times to validate tailpipe emissions.
Lead Researcher: Dr. Georgios Karavalakis